Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman. This was my first Gaiman and I had no idea I was getting involved in a fantasy novel. Lots of fun, even though I'm not a big fantasy reader.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. I started this novel this week and I'm about to finish it (about 3/4 through). Wow. I can't even begin to describe how much I'm enjoying this book. The whole thing has been nearly perfect, and a literal page turner. I can't wait to finish it so I can read others thoughts on it and see if everyone else loved it as much as me.

On Saturday, I read A Man Called Ove, by Fredrick Backman. It was a quick read, but good and rather emotional. It's like an onion, with more and more layers than you thought. I started on Sunday I, Claudius, by Robert Graves. I haven't read enough yet to judge it.

Finished Brain on Fire, by Susannah Cahalan - it was an entertaining read and provided some insight into what it's like to have a condition so rare and obscure that almost nobody would think to look for it.

Finishing A Man Called Ove, by Frederik Backman - this has been a nice feel-good book, and it also provides a glimpse of the struggles that seniors face like losing independence and trying to find purpose in their post-working lives.

The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien - Book Five, Chapter Ten, "The Black Gate Opens". In terms of telling a straightforward adventure story, I still prefer the Peter Jackson films. What the books add is a sense of mythology. There are lines that read very much like Biblical history, like (paraphrasing) "[good guy's grave] grew lush and green, but where [bad guy] was burned the ground was forever barren." That's the sort of thing that you include either to explain why things are the way they are, or to teach the listener landmarks so they can find their way home.

Started Unaccountable, by Dr. Marty Makary - Dr. Makary argues for greater transparency into doctors' and hospitals' results (average length of hospital stay, infection rates, patient satisfaction ratings) so that we can judge our healthcare providers by something more useful than their diplomas and friendliness.

Fans of Scrubs may recall season 2 episode 14 ("My Brother, My Keeper") where Dr. Townshend (Dick van Dyke) subjects his patients to outdated procedures that are more invasive than necessary simply because that's how he's used to doing them. Makary doesn't reference Scrubs, but tells a real-life story much like that and says that it's very common. As in the Scrubs episode, it's handled quietly and internally, if it's addressed at all, because medical staff are taught early on to never embarrass a doctor.

A Man Called Ove, by Frederick Backman

It's for a book club this week, and it was quite a charming (a bit sad) read. Will definitely be checking out his other works. I've heard really wonderful things about Beartown.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

I'm almost half way through this book and loving it. For those that don't know, it's about a grumpy old man who was recently force retired shortly after his wife died. He's a curmudgeon, constantly complains about how know one knows how to do anything these days, is a stickler for the rules and PRINCIPLES (which no one has anymore), and he's reluctantly being dragged in to helping his incompetent neighbors. We also get flashbacks to Ove's youth and discover how he grew up and fell in love. This book is hilarious and has me chuckling constantly. It's also emotional and heart warming. I'm not sure if it's going to end up as a feel-good book, but seeing as it's Swedish I'm betting against too happy of an ending.

Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone

This is my current audiobook. It's read by the author and she's done a great job so far. I love how the scientific words are pronounced correctly. No Zoo-ology here. Just Zo-ology. I've already learned a ton about jellyfish, including just how little we know about them. We've found polyps (early growth stage) for moon jellyfish all over the world, but struggle to find where these polyps reside for other species. We can't predict where (or when) jellyfish blooms will occur. They're evolution is a bit of a mystery as well. They're fossils are even more unlikely to be found than a dinosaurs. They currently eat krill and fish, but what did they eat before those food sources existed? We don't know. They are the most efficient swimmers in the animal kingdom. Not because they drift around but because of how they're bell is constructed and used to suck themselves through the water. All of these wonderful facts are interspersed with a sort of memoir on how Juli Berwald PhD got involved in the field in the first place.

Took almost a month but I finished Shōgun by James Clavell. Really vivid characters, cool story, feel like I learned a lot about the time period and what a samurai actually is. B+

Started A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. So far it feels familiar- grumpy old man with dead wife. Like Gran Torino or Up- but those turned out to be two very different movies, so we’ll see where this one goes.

I finished The Passenger, By Lisa Lutz. Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the mystery, suspense, crime genre. Excellent!!

​

I am starting A Man Called Ove, By Frederik Backman. Heard so many good things about this one. I am excited that I was able to pick it up at a used book sale recently.

Finished Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs - fun paranormal action, a bit weak toward the end as many of the questions get resolved in a big infodump. It's the first in a series (ten titles so far, plus a spinoff), so I'll probably give the second one a shot and see if it gets better.

Finished The Vegetarian, by Han Kang - weird and a bit disturbing, but well worth it. I hesitate to say too much because it's really something you have to experience for yourself.

Started Brain on Fire, by Susannah Cahalan - like Still Alice, the story opens with the protagonist doing things that probably wouldn't be that unusual except that they're out of character for her. It's all so easy to explain away until eventually you can't.

Started A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman - Only about twenty pages in, but I like it so far. Ove is cranky, but in a charming way. I'm definitely with him in some respects, like can I just get a damn strawberry ice cream cone without currants or basil or other trendy crap?

Working on The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien - Book Four, Chapter Five, "The Window on the West", in which Faramir questions Frodo about his errand, then realizes he already kind of knows what it is.

This week was definitely a slow reading week. I read Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck for class, which was an interesting and important read in regards to the 2015-17(?) refugee crisis in Germany (and had lovely prose), but it was brutally slow imho.

I dipped into Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, which is very reminiscent of A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman. I'm loving it, but my reading for class has taken priority, so I'm moving through it at a snail's pace.

I'm also working on finishing up Black Deutschland by Darryl Pinckney for class. The prose is phenomenal, but I'm having the hardest time understanding the architecture plot. If anyone has read and can summarize/explain, that would be amazing.

This past week I finished The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.

I absolutely loved The Fellowship of the Ring, and I get it now why everyone raves about it. My husband has been ecstatic that I’m reading the series, so I’ll start reading book two this weekend or next week. He has warned me that book two will be slower.

I really enjoyed the first two volumes of 1Q84, they were kind of slow but still enjoyable. However, volume three was just so slow and had so much unnecessary pages to it, I wound up pretty disappointed with it. This is my first Murakami book to read and I think that I should have started out with a different book.

This week I started A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

Finished A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman and started The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell

I thought I'd be able to finish one of my books this week, but not yet, so I'm still on the same three as last week:

• A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Bachman - about ⅔ of the way through, after the holiday in Spain.
• Brain on Fire, by Susannah Cahalan - again roughly ⅔ through, next chapter is called "Homecoming".
• The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien - Book 5, Chapter 4, "The Siege of Gondor".

I also started a collection called Zombies vs. Unicorns, by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (editors). It drew me in with its cover. The content is more or less what you'd expect: twelve stories, six about zombies and six about unicorns, written by various YA authors: Meg Cabot, Cassandra Clare, Garth Nix, et al.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson - LOVED this. really off the rails but really fun.

The Female Pursuasion, by Meg Wolitzer - enjoyed it.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman - 10/10, loved it, one of my favorite books I've ready this year. So endearing. Made me laugh and cry and just, so many emotions.

When Katie Met Cassidy, by Camille Perri - it's a lesbian romance, nothing more, nothing less. Hardly great literature, but a fun read.

I finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I simply adore this book!

Also just about finished with Killing Floor by Lee Child, a nice change of pace from what I've been reading.

This week I'm thinking I'll start Ghost Story by Peter Straub, since it's been on my tbr for a while and went on sale for Kindle.

Brain on Fire, by Susannah Cahalan - about halfway through, right after Dr. Najjar says the title line. I've noticed that most of the female-authored books that I read are this type of narrative journalism, and this book is a good example of why I enjoy them. It's a true story, as near as Cahalan can tell it considering the circumstances, but it maintains the limited point of view and personal feeling that a more conventional history like 1776 lacks.

A Man Called Ove, by Frederik Bachman - about 100 pages in ("A Clown Called Beppo"). Back in my teens, there was an episode of Rocko's Modern Life where the boys for some reason go on a seniors cruise. They complain to each other about the crotchety seniors, but then the show takes a serious moment to explain where they're coming from. A passenger tells the boys that if he's a grump, it may be due to his gradually failing health, his increasing isolation from the world, and seeing his friends die off. That seems to be Ove's story as well; if he's abrupt and standoffish, it's because he's learned to be.

Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien - finished with The Two Towers, moving on to Return of the King. I like this second volume better than the first, mainly because narrative feels more focused. It stays with one party for each "book" and there's less idle chatter about the mythology and geography of the world. What world building there is feels organic, as opposed to the contrived expository monologues of Fellowship.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

I just started A Man Called Ove for my book club. I've only read about 10 pages, but it's really hilarious so far!

Finished reading:
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Outstanding story, I absolutely loved it.

What Happened by Hillary Clinton
Not the book I thought it was going to be, but enjoyable nonetheless. Very emotional.

Started:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
and
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Enjoying both so far. I've been having a really good streak lately in my reading choices.

I finished A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman and Good Morning, Midnight, by Lily Brooks-Dalton. I just started Circe, by Madeline Miller.

Finished:

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

I really enjoyed the story but I didn’t love the writing style at times. Also, I don’t care much for the Audible narration (I tend to read at home and listen to the Audible version while driving). Aside from that, though, a very heartwarming read that actually made me laugh out loud, in an empty room, several times. Overall, I would rate this 4 out of 5 stars.

The Octopus, the Sea, and the Origins of Consciousness, by Peter Godfrey-Smith

This was a very interesting non-fiction read. I loved the Audible narration, too. I find octopuses, philosophy, and psychology all to be fascinating subjects so this book was perfect for me. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was certainly mine. 5 out of 5 stars from me.

I’m not sure what I’m going to read next.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrick Backman

I finished A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman and it was excellent!! Looking forward to reading some of his other books.

I started Tell No One, by Harlan Coben. This is my first time reading one of his books. I had heard many good things about this author and book. I have read around 110 pages so far and am already finding it difficult to put down!!

I finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I liked it enough to want to read Beartown, which seems more interesting.

I started Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, which bears some similarities so far, but I think will turn out to be quite different. Very different style, too.

I might start reading No Country for Old Men at the same time for something different.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

Replay, by Ken Grimwood

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

Finished A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. Such a great read, I was recommended this constantly and finally got the audio book through my library and blazed through it. One of my top reads for the year.

Also finished The Silent Wife, by A.S.A Harrison. Though it was a decent thriller, had a different writing style than some others I read. I liked it overall but I may start with other genres from now on.

Just finished A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. Loved it. Backman is really something else when it comes to character development.

This week, I finished:

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman This book was a big disappointment for me. I thought it was fine, but I did not think it was the masterpiece others seem to think it is. I thought it was really corny and thought Ove was a bit too much of a jerk.

Missoula by Jon Krakauer This book was a really difficult read for me as someone who has been sexually assaulted, as someone who has worked with both victims and perpetrators of sexual assault, and also as someone who generally does not support a "lock them up and throw away the key" approach to criminal justice. The book is very grim and graphic, so it took me a while to get through this, but I also thought the issue was handled with some degree of unsophistication. I felt like the truly terrible and disgusting things people said were also lumped in with the folks who were asking for a degree of mercy that I just... don't find unreasonable. (E.g. I don't think 30 years with 20 years suspended is "getting off easy" and I don't think the prosecutors asking for that were doing a miscarriage of justice even if the victim wanted a harsher punishment. But also feel really gross arguing on the side of the rapist especially in the context of other people being so, so terrible about this.) I am predisposed to have a similar perspective to Krakauer (other than the weird comments at the end about not realizing how many of his friends and family have been sexually assaulted? I am definitely very cognizant of that, personally) but I still couldn't get 100% behind this book.

A man called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

Started with a feeling that I am going to love Ove but halfway through the book I thought he's a bit too self centered and refuses to see other people's viewpoints. Ended with liking him anyway though. Also I found it inconsistent that Ove was non homophobic given that his character throughout the book was portrayed as someone who cannot understand people much different than him. The finish felt too rushed. A lot of things fell in place too quickly. Overall however, I definitely recommend this book particularly to readers who are looking for an easy-read with a feel-good touch to it and to those who would like to understand what goes in the mind of grumpy old men like Ove.